Mobile type sign



June 15, 1965 w. 'r. THRASHER MOBILE TYPE SIGN Filed Aug. 21,

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WARREN T THRASHER Fig. 2

Magi-aw ATTORNEY June 15, 1965 w. "r. THRASHER MOBILE TYPE SIGN .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug; 21, 1965 WARREN T THRASHER BY Q- ATTORNEY United States Patent,

3,189,183 MOBILE TYPE SIGN Warren '1. Thrasher, Seminole, Okla, assignor to The Daw Corporation, Seminole, Okla, acorporation of Oklahoma Filed Aug. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 303,621 6 Claims. (Cl. 21113) The present invention relates to a mobile type sign and constitutes an improvement over my copending application Serial No. 233,016, filed October 25, 1962, entitled Mobile Type Sign. It consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts hereinafter to be described.

Generally there is provided a sheet of deformable material, such as rolled aluminum alloy, for example, which has been passed through one or more sets of roller dies or pierce and form dies that cut therein rows and columns of base-attached tongues. Eccentrically apertured discs or sequins are loosely hung on all or selected ones of said tongues. The tongues are preferably bent outwardly at right angles to the sheet during the cutting operation or immediately thereafter but the tongues may be left lying in the plane of the sheet for conserving shipping or storage space or to permit selective bending outwardly of tongues in a desired pattern.

The tongues are so shaped and spaced that adjacent rows or columns of base-attached tongues are interconnected by very narrow attachment portions permitting easy bending and breaking of the connecting portions so that the sheet may be easily and quickly divided into separate strips of one or several rows or columns each. The bases of the tongues extend downwardly to the plane of the sheet so that the sheet or a strip thereof can be flexed in any direction. The sign base may thus be ben-tto the contour of surfaces curved vertically or horizontally. One of the features of the invention is the provision of two pairs of integrally formed angularly extending guide members in each of the tongues and an intervening rounded neck portion upon which is loosely suspended a sequin. Another feature of the invention is the provision of novel means for assembling adjoining sheets in such manner that adjacent rows of sequins in two adjoining sheets are spaced automatically the same distance from each other as the sequins in adjoining rows within a single sheet.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a base for mobile signs in the form of a sheet which is bendable both transversely and longitudinally.

Another object of the invention is to provide a base for mobile signs having rows or columns of tongues in which the rows or columns are interconnected by small spaced base portions easily broken by bending so that the sheet may be quickly and easily divided into strips of one or several rows or columns of tonques.

Still another object of the invention is to provide, in a device of the character set forth, novel guide arms forming a part of the invention.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a device of the character set forth, novel means for assembling pluralities of sequin carrying sheets whereby the adjoining rows of sequins of two adjoining sheets are automatically spaced an equal distance to the space between rows of sequins in a given sheet.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a pair of assembled sequin-carrying sheets of the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view thereof,

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the device illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2,

3,189,183 Patented June 15, 1965 ice FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of a sheet forming a part of the invention prior to bending outwardly therefrom a tongue likewise forming apart of the invention,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the first step in forming the tongue, 7

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 but illustrating another step in the formation of the device,

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 77 of FIGURE 6,

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating the manner in which one roll of a sequin sheet may be utilized, and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating another means for utilizing a single row from a sheet such as that illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 7, inclusive.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown therein a sheet 10 of rolled aluminum alloy or the like which has been die cut to define horizontal rows 11 and vertical columns 12 of tongues generally designated at 13 and which in their normal and useful position are disclosed as being bent horizontally outwardly at right angles to the plane of the sheet 10 as shown, for example, in FIGURE 3.

Each tongue 13 comprises a rectangular base 14 joined at its lower edge, as indicated at 15, to the sheet 10 and an integrally formed outer rectangular portion 16 (see FIG. 4) having a pair of outer horizontal slits-17 and a pair of inner horizontal slits 19.

The slits 17 and 19 define inner and outer edges of a neck 20 which is bent to closed or nearly closed condition as indicated in FIG. 7 whereby the same may be loosely received in an eccentric opening 22 of a sequin or disc 2-3, as indicated in FIG. 1, for example.

The slits 17 and 19 also define apair of inner guide arms 24 and a pair of outer guide arms 25.

In addition to the opening left in the sheet 10 by the formation of the rectangular portions 14 and 16 of the tongue 13, there is provided additional cut away portions 26 at either side of the portion 16, as indicated in FIG. 4, and a circular cut away port-ion 27 adjoining the upper end of such opening. The circular portion 27 of the opening is omitted in the uppermost horizontal row which is designated 11a in the drawings.

Integrally formed with the lower end of each sheet is a relatively narrow nailing strip 28 provided with nail or screw receiving openings for the reception of screws 29 or the like (see FIG. 1).

At either side of each vertical row 12 there is provided a series of vertically aligned elongated rectangular openings 31 and, immediately adjacent each side of the juncture line between the portion 14 of the tongue 13 and the sheet 10, there is provided a horizontally extending slot 32.

It will be apparent that the outer guide arms 25 are first bent along with the neck 20 so that the neck may be inserted through the opening 22 of a disc 23 after which the outer guide arms 25 may be bent angularly outwardly and downwardly, as indicated in FIGURE 7 and the inner guide arms 24 bent to a similar position wherein they extend at substantially right angles to each other.

In assembling two or more sheets 10, it is only necessary to abut the upper edge of a lower sheet 10 against the under sides of the lowermost base portions 14 of an upper sheet 10, as indicated in FIG. 1, In such position, the lower sheet may be attached to the nailing strip 28 of the upper sheet 10 or, alternatively, may simply lie in position thereagainst. In any event, the uppermost row 11a of each sheet is of a width which exactly positions the sequins 23 mounted thereon equidistantly from the lowermost row of sequins of the sheet next therea-bove and also at an identical distance equal to the distance be 3 tween any two adjacent horizontal rows in the body of the sheet itself.

It will also be apparent that the two pairs of guide arms 24 and 25 will act to confine the associated sequins 23 there between and to maintain the same in such manner that it may rotate freely without becoming caught on any protuberances neighboring the same.

Referring now to FIGURE 8, it will be apparent that a single horizontal row from the sheet together with its associated tongues and sequins may be utilized by placing the main body of the same in a vertical plane with the various portions thereof bent toward each other whereby the same may be utilized to encompass a horizontally extending circular object in which case the tongues 13 will project forwardly but in an arcuate or circular assemblage.

Referring now to FIGURE 9, it will be seen that the main bodysof a single row 11 of the sheet 10 and its accompanying tongues and discs may be placed vertically around a vertically extending circular object such as a post or the like in which case the tongues 13 and their associated discs will protrude outwardly and horizontally therefrom.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many min-or modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A base for a mobile sequin sign comprising: a sheet of deformable material having rows and columns of tongues cut therefrom, each of said tonguesh-aving a rel tively wide base portion, a substantially cylindrical neck portion for receiving thereon an apertured sequin, a air of inner guide arms extending from said tongues between said base portion and said neck, and a pair of outer guide arms extending from said tongue outwardly of said neck, said tongues extending outwardly from the surface of said sheet, whereby, when bent horizontally away from said sheet, said tongues will permit horizontal bending of said sheet, the material remaining between said tongues defining webs interconnecting adjacent tongues and also connecting one row of tongues to the adjacent rows with small area portions easily bent to permit bending said sheet over vertically curved surfaces and being easily broken to permit separation of said sheet into strips of one or more rows of tongues.

-2. Structure according to claim 1, wherein said sheet is formed of aluminum alloy.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the arms of each of said pairs of guide arms extend at substantially right angles to each other.

4. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said sheet is provided at its lower end portion with an integrally formed horizontally extending nailing strip, and wherein the uppermost row of said sheet is of a width whereby when overlaid upon the nailing strip of an identical sheet and in abutting relation to the base portions of the lowermost tongues of said identical sheet, the sequins carried by said uppermost row of tongues will be positioned from each other a distance equal to that between any two adjacent horizontal rows of said sheets.

5. Structure according to claim .1 wherein said columns are defined by vertically extending aligned elongated rectangular openings and wherein said rows are defined by horizontally aligned horizontally extending slots.

6. Structure according to claim 4 wherein said columns are defined by vertically extending aligned elongated rectangular openings and wherein said rows are defined by horizontally aligned horizontally extending slots.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/57 Touche -138 7/5'8 Buecker et a1 211-10 

1. A BASE FOR A MOBILE SEQUIN SIGN COMPRISING: A SHEET OF DEFORMABLE MATERIAL HAVING ROWS AND COLUMNS OF TONGUES CUT THEREFROM, EACH OF SAID TONGUES HAVING A RELATIVELY WIDE BASE PORTION, A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL NECK PORTION FOR RECEIVING THEREON AN APERTURED SEQUIN, A PAIR OF INNER GUIDE ARMS EXTENDING FROM SAID TONGUES BETWEEN SAID BASE PORTION AND SAID NECK, AND A PAIR OF OUTER GUIDE ARMS EXTENDING FROM SAID TONGUE OUTWARDLY OF SAID NECK, SAID TONGUES EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE SURFACE OF SAID SHEET, WHEREBY, WHEN BENT HORIZONTALLY AWAY FROM SAID SHEET, SAID TONGUES WILL PERMIT HORIZONTAL BENDING OF SAID SHEET, THE MATERIAL REMAINING BETWEEN SAID TONGUES DEFINING WEBS INTERCONNECTING ADJACENT TONGUES AND ALSO CONNECTING ONE ROW OF TONGUES TOO THE ADJACENT ROWS WITH SMALL AREA PORTIONS EASILY BENT TO PERMIT BENDING SAID SHEET OVER VERTICALLY CURVED SURFACES AND BEING EASILY BROKEN TO PERMIT SEPARATION OF SAID SHEET INTO STRIPS OF ON OR MORE ROWS OF TONGUES. 